Building and Sustaining Positive Relationships in the Workplace

It's Monday morning and you've only been at the office for a couple of hours. The phone has not stopped ringing, you've barely made a dent in your emails, there is a project deadline looming, a team meeting to lead and your boss is concerned and hassling you about the project outcome. Does any of this sound familiar to you? Does it feel overwhelming?

The truth is that order to be successful, productive and less stressed, you need positive, supportive relationships at work. Here are the 7 keys to developing them.

1. Foster a willingness to listen. Good listening skills are necessary in order to succeed in establishing good relationships with managers, colleagues, and employees. While talking less and listening more can be a challenge at times, it's important to suspend your own needs and reactions in order "hear" what another person is saying.

2. Promote a willingness to work collaboratively. Collaboration or "working together" is an extremely important team concept. This means noticing and responding to the comments and requests of others. Each member of the team has value and a role to play so if one or two team members attempt to be "in charge" and view themselves as more valuable, the effectiveness of the whole team may be greatly reduced.

3. Endeavor to be respectful. The old adage "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar" holds true. Showing respect to others, even if they are unpleasant and rude, exhibits a strong sense of self.

4. Respond in a timely fashion. Evaluate how timely you are in responding to others. Remember, your response may affect decisions or someone else's ability to complete projects. When you let someone know you have received their message but don't have the data they require, at least they know you aren't ignoring them. Often much time, energy and frustration is expended because people don't acknowledge a message or request.

5. Find a mentor. A mentor understands the company culture, how decisions are made and office protocol. Your mentor is willing to answer your questions, share their wisdom and challenge you. Developing a relationship with a mentor can help you transition into a company, a new department or a different job. Having a mentor can help you manage and thrive in a competitive environment.

6. Eliminate the negativity. Examine your behavior to be sure that you're not a chronic complainer who never has anything positive to say, the boss who yells at employees under the guise of motivating them, or the person who always blames others for their problems. You'll also want to limit contact with these toxic influences as much as possible.

7. Surround yourself with supportive people. People who value, encourage and support you are invaluable both in the workplace and in your personal life. They help you problem solve and deal with the challenges you encounter. They encourage you even while asking tough questions. They don't always agree with you but rather are with you through "thick and thin". Identify the supportive people in your life and let them know how much you appreciate them.

Evaluate your work environment and ask yourself: What kind of relationships do I want and need?

10 Most Recent Articles Written by Gail Solish

The Art Of Remarkable Leadership
Written by: Gail Solish |
Distributed: 2007-05-08 |
Word Count: 897 |
Page Views: 2137
| Votes: 4 |
Rating: 0.25
Leadership is defined as the capacity or ability to guide others
to accomplish an objective. To provide leadership, one needs to
be a leader. What qualities do you believe are required by a good
leader and how does one become a leader? Although some people
have natural leadership skills, good leaders are made not born.

Essential Skills For Creating A Dynamite Relationship With Your Boss
Written by: Gail Solish |
Distributed: 2007-03-29 |
Word Count: 794 |
Page Views: 1808
| Votes: 3 |
Rating: 3.33
At some point in our lives most of us will be working for someone
else, so it is important to fully understand what makes our boss
tick and how best to interact and influence him or her. How much
attention have you given to your boss's personality style? How
does she function? What seems to agitate or please her? If we
have a difficult boss we focus on what drives us crazy. If we
have a great boss we tend to take things for granted.
Recognizing the factors which contribute to creating the most
successful, powerful working relationship is a skill to be
utilized throughout one's career.

Time Management vs. Self Management
Written by: Gail Solish |
Distributed: 2006-12-21 |
Word Count: 825 |
Page Views: 3088
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 1.44
We hear a lot about time management and how we need to organize
ourselves and manage our time more effectively. In order to
regulate our time, new ways of thinking and being need to be
developed. We need to develop self management strategies. When
we manage ourselves better we tend to be less overwhelmed, more
productive and happier.

The Freedom of Saying 'No'
Written by: Gail Solish |
Distributed: 2006-11-07 |
Word Count: 598 |
Page Views: 4701
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 2.00
We live in a fast paced world and often we believe that the way
to get ahead is to take on more and more. The price we pay for
doing "more" or too much is feeling overwhelmed and
out of balance. "NO" is just a simple two letter word.
Yet it is often the hardest word to say. The challenge is to set
limits and boundaries for ourselves which requires us to learn
how to say "no". Why is this so difficult?

Laughter Makes the Workplace Lighter
Written by: Gail Solish |
Distributed: 2006-11-03 |
Word Count: 607 |
Page Views: 3237
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 1.63
Did you know that the average preschooler laughs or smiles 400
times a day? That number drops to 15 by the time people are 35
yrs. old. Isn't it amazing what stress and too much
responsibility can do? So who says that work always has to be
serious?

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Distributed: 2010-12-09 |
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3 Cutting Edge Steps Show You The Real Way To Make Money Online
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Distributed: 2010-11-16 |
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The Perspective of Dawn
Written by: Barbara Wulf MS, ACC, CPCC |
Distributed: 2010-03-15 |
Word Count: 560 |
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| Votes: 3 |
Rating: 1.00
For years, I have been a night owl as opposed to an early
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The Decline and Fall of the Retirement Empire
Written by: Irene A. Majchrzak |
Distributed: 2010-03-10 |
Word Count: 1317 |
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Word Count: 532 |
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New Year Still Is A Time Of Uncertainty For Economy
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Distributed: 2010-02-02 |
Word Count: 509 |
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She's After Your Money
Written by: Scott Bywater |
Distributed: 2009-12-14 |
Word Count: 460 |
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| Votes: 1 |
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Who would you rather be? The guy who had just managed to
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How to Know if You'll Make a Good Police Officer
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Distributed: 2008-09-24 |
Word Count: 789 |
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One Star that Doesn't Need to Shine: The truth behind the Order of the Eastern Star
Written by: Siobhan Gamble |
Distributed: 2007-07-09 |
Word Count: 831 |
Page Views: 12487
| Votes: 33 |
Rating: 1.45
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Written by: Carole Martin |
Distributed: 2006-09-14 |
Word Count: 680 |
Page Views: 11049
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 2.79
At some point, usually at the conclusion of the interview, you
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There's More to Culinary Arts Than Being a Chef
Written by: Jennifer Charleston |
Distributed: 2008-10-09 |
Word Count: 797 |
Page Views: 9285
| Votes: 18 |
Rating: 2.78
Culinary arts is simply the art of cooking. Working in the field
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The Pros and Cons of Teaching Abroad
Written by: Justin Burch |
Distributed: 2006-10-31 |
Word Count: 720 |
Page Views: 7485
| Votes: 20 |
Rating: 3.15
As it has been said, teaching abroad isn't for everybody. Each
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You Give What You Get In Your Career
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Distributed: 2007-01-23 |
Word Count: 653 |
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| Votes: 6 |
Rating: 3.83
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Federal Jobs Are Plentiful
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You Gotta Go Through
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Distributed: 2007-04-25 |
Word Count: 676 |
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| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 3.57
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Interviewing And The Electric Toothbrush
Written by: Carole Martin |
Distributed: 2007-01-18 |
Word Count: 697 |
Page Views: 3033
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 3.56
Many electric toothbrushes have a shut off mechanism that turns
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Distributed: 2006-09-26 |
Word Count: 619 |
Page Views: 3419
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 3.50
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Lindsay Lohan's Peers May Choose Floriculture Careers
Written by: Wesley Berry, AAF |
Distributed: 2008-04-03 |
Word Count: 503 |
Page Views: 4744
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 3.43
Unlike actress Lindsay Lohan, most twenty-something-year-olds are
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Successful Federal Resume Writing Tips
Written by: Jason Kay |
Distributed: 2007-01-17 |
Word Count: 1108 |
Page Views: 4331
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 3.43
Applying for a federal job may seem a bit intimidating, due to
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